Chris Nugent*, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom Mark Donnelly, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom Ian Cleland*, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom Sally McClean, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom Bryan Scotney, University of Ulster, Newtownabbey, United Kingdom Track: Research Presentation Topic: Mobile & Tablet Health Applications Presentation Type: Poster presentation Submission Type: Single Presentation Last modified: 2013-09-25

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Background: Cognitive prosthetics can be used to provide people with cognitive impairment, such as those with mild dementia, the opportunity of increasing their independence through the provision of pre-scheduled reminders to engage in everyday activities. They can also provide a secondary benefit of reducing carer burden. When developing cognitive prosthetics it is, however, important to take into consideration the views of the carer in addition to that of the primary user. This approach has the potential to increase system usability and functionality, thus leading to increased levels of adoption.
Aim and Objectives: The aim of the study was to consider the benefits of incorporating user needs into the design of a cognitive prosthetic following the adoption of a user-centered design approach. Persons with dementia (PwD) may not be able to offer a full insight into their specific needs or provide feedback related to the utility of the assistive technologies, however, inclusion of the patient-caregiver dyad in this process attempts to overcome this. The cognitive prosthetic within the study took the form of a mobile application designed to deliver video based reminders for PwD. The video reminders were recorded by the care giver hence creating a virtual caregiver scenario.
Methods: The user needs and attitudes of 72 careers and PwD were elicited throughout various stages of the prototype development process of the cognitive prosthetic. In total, the system was evaluated with 36 people with dementia (MMSE>18, µ=26, mean age = 75.1 years) and 9 elderly control participants (mean age=65.7). Additionally, 27 carers of PwD (mean age = 67) were included in the analysis. Participants and careers were used to enquire about user needs, attitude, design, functionality and usability of the system. Pre- and post-questionnaires in addition to informal interviews were used to obtain feedback, which guided subsequent refinements of the prototype.
Results: The mixed methods approach, which included interviews, questionnaires and observations to elicit the user needs, was found to be successful to overcome the issues associated with the elicitation of user needs of people with cognitive impairments. It was found within the study that inclusion of the patient-caregiver dyad allowed the career to act as a proxy to report the feelings, effects and successes or failures of the technology, where the PwD may not be able to remember or reflect on these situations in a similar manner. It was also found that participatory design methodologies provided a supportive environment in which participants felt confident to provide critical feedback. Findings following analysis of the data collected indicated that the latent needs, namely the needs of which the primary users and their carers might not even be aware of yet, were crucially important. Furthermore, understanding the context of use is equally important, providing sufficient knowledge for the problem to be understood and successful design and development undertaken. Combining technology pushed development with user pulled technology development, was therefore found to be the way forward in the development of assistive technology for people with dementia.